Simple ways to save a fortune

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So, you need to save more money each month? It’s easy. These simple tips will help keep cash in your wallet each week.

Start a vegetable patch. Why buy veggies from the supermarket when you can grow your own and pick them fresh each day? Don’t forget to include herbs too!

Take your own water. Why buy a fresh bottle of water each day? It’s not only bad for the environment, it’s a drain on your wallet. Take your own bottle to work and in the car, and refill throughout the day.

Stock up. Buy enough food and drinks to last you each week. A mid-week dash to the service station or dairy is going to cost you a whole lot more.

Beat account fees. Get your statements online, make your transfers without using an operator (i.e. using Accessweb, Accessmobile or Accessphone), and ensure you’re not dipping into your savings accounts with higher withdrawal fees. You could save yourself hundreds every year! See our Ways to bank page for more information.

Avoid buying pre-packaged food. It can be much cheaper to pick your own cheeses, chicken, ham, olives and other meats from the deli counter or butcher.

Fill up your car. Don’t drive your car almost empty – it’ll end up costing you more as you’ll lose fuel through evaporation.

DIY pet food. Make your own pet food by mixing rice, some cheap meat (ask the butcher for floor scraps) and leftover veges and cook them into tasty meals. Freeze and save.

Plan for Christmas early. Get organised for Christmas this year by buying your gifts at the mid-year sales. Remember, it’s very unlikely you’ll scoop a bargain in the month leading up to Christmas! You can also get organised for next year by setting up a Christmas Saver account.

Switch it off. Leaving a room? Turn off the lights as you exit. If you want to take it a step further, switch off appliances and other electrical items when not in use too.

Take lunch to work. Bringing your lunch each day to work will save you around $50 a week – that’s $2,600 a year! Don’t forget to bring snacks from home too.

These are just some of the ideas that you could use to save hundreds every year. Once you get started you’ll find yourself coming up with all sorts of weird and wonderful ways to make your money work for you.

Now with all the extra money you’ve saved, all you need to do is think about how you’re going to spend it! Setting an achievable goal is a great way to stay motivated and keep on track.

This article has been provided by Cole Murray, advisers in insurance and all things financial. If you think you could benefit from having a financial plan to achieve your goals in life, these are the experts to talk to.

*Credit Union Baywide trading as NZCU Baywide. Terms and conditions and normal lending criteria apply. A $500 approval fee and other fees apply for home lending. A $250 approval fee and other fees apply for personal lending. All variable rates, fees and returns are subject to change without notice. The current Product Disclosure Statement and other disclosure statements are available here or on request from the Credit Union. NZCU Baywide savings are shares secured by a first ranking security over NZCU Baywide's assets. Click here to view our rates and fees. The CANSTAR 5 Star Rating was awarded in December 2017 to NZCU Baywide for Orange Personal Loans and in June 2017 for our Online Saver account.